Harvardocs-medschool-applicants-list August 2021

harvardocs-medschool-applicants-list@lists.fas.harvard.edu

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secondary timing, optional questions, committee letters, interview season & resources (including webinar this friday)

by Premedical College

Dear Applicants, 1. Timing of secondary application submission. We recommend that you turn around your secondary applications in 10-14 days. Some, but not all, schools will give you a specific deadline. Remember just to complete these as they arrive, and do not prioritize your reach schools over your 'safer'/target schools. Our rationale for suggesting 10-14 days is three-fold. First, being early in this process is an advantage and you lose that advantage if you sit on your secondary applications. Second, turning them around quickly shows interest, good organization, and time management. Third, in our experience, hanging on to them just makes them pile up and causes more stress and anxiety. However, do not worry if something comes up and some take you a bit longer to get in. There is nothing magic about our 10-14 day guideline. You do not need to stress over them excessively, but do make sure they are error free. Be aware that some schools expect you to access their secondary applications on their websites or through their application portal, so check MSAR and your school websites to make sure you know what to expect with regard to receiving secondary applications from the schools you have selected. Also see the FAQs for Applicants > Secondary Applications at https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas. * See the relevant AAMC MSAR reports available at https://students-residents.aamc.org/medical-school-admission-requirements/m…, as well as each of your school's individual MSAR entry for more information about their specific timelines and requirements for being ready for evaluation. Above all, pay careful attention to all communications you will be receiving directly from the schools to which you are applying about their specific criteria for starting to evaluate your application, as this will vary among the schools and may still be further revised in the coming months. *Be sure to check spam folders not to miss a secondary app/link to secondary app, or other important emails from your schools, and take a moment to review how your schools manage communication with its applicants (i.e., do they use a portal, email, social media, snail mail, etc. to communicate with you?). 1. 1. Optional Secondary Application Questions-Are they optional? It really depends on the wording. At times, the question is worded in such a way that they only want you to answer if you have clearly had a hardship, a disadvantage, or a significant bump in the road. Other times, it is an invitation to tell them something else. A note on additional secondary questions inviting you to address and share COVID-related challenges you have experienced in the process so far: * Many schools added a question to their secondary about how you have been affected by the pandemic. Use it to convey anything that has set you back in terms of your timeline or ability to perform up to your usual levels in your classes; that impacted your ability to raise your GPA as a result of not receiving letter grades in Spring 2020 if you were an enrolled student then; that disrupted your MCAT preparation or performance; to address any changes to your ongoing or planned extracurricular activities, including adding more shadowing and clinical experience hours; to address changes to your work situation, ability to continue to perform clinical responsibilities you may have had, or other disruptions to your work role or hours; the impact on your postgrad job search; and anything else you deem important for the schools to be aware of in terms of how COVID-19 has affected you, your family and loved ones, and your daily routines and access to technology when forced to study or work remotely. If you need feedback on how best to use this added space in your secondaries, reach out to your House advisers for their input. * Remember that you need to report any new MCAT score you have received after completing your PIF or House Questionnaire to your tutors so that they will be able to address the score, if deemed helpful to your app to do so, in your Committee Letter. 1. Committee letters. Please check in your AMCAS after August 16 to see if your committee letter has been received. If it has not, and you abided by all your House deadlines, please reach out to your House Academic Coordinator. 1. What to expect from the interview season: * The schools to which you are applying will be communicating their interview format to you, so be sure to carefully read and review all instructions and information about what to expect on interview day from each of the schools to which you are applying. Please refer to the AAMC MSAR report about interview format as well: https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7051/download *Also stay tuned for announcements about fall 2021 OCS-hosted and school-hosted virtual info sessions for current applicants, which are great opportunities to learn more and ask questions about interview formats as well as other important information for 2022 applicants. See our calendars for details: https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/career-pathways/healthcare-medicine?page=1 and https://employers.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/calendar * Try not to be overly concerned about how virtual formats will impact your application. Medical schools are paying attention to the fact that some applicants will not have an ideal space from which to do the interview; they are aware that some of you may experience a poor wifi connection or may be in a time zone that means that you are possibly meeting them and interviewing early in the morning or later in the day than usual, when you may not be at your best; and all schools will be prepared for the unexpected hiccups that could occur on each side of a virtual interview. Schools now have one year of experience with how to conduct successful online virtual interviews, and they are working hard to ensure a successful, fair, and productive virtual interview season. In sum, the schools are all committed to holistic evaluation and recognition of potential obstacles to a successful virtual interview. If you have concerns that the virtual interview process is placing you at an unfair disadvantage due to unequal access to important resources for doing well in this setting, do not hesitate to reach out to the Admissions Offices directly. * Along the same lines of ensuring that all applicants are equally able to compete and do their best on interview day, we do want you to share with us and your House teams any concerns you have about your wifi and computer set-up, time zone challenges, or other issues you are worried may negatively impact your interview performance. But before you reach out to your House teams or to the OCS advisers, about interview-related concerns and questions, please review the following resources: * https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2020-05/Virtual_Interview_Tips_for_Medica…<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.aamc.org_system_fi…> (from 2020, but still relevant) * An AAMC advisor report in which many medical schools have updated their 2022 interview plans and formats (this content should correspond to what the schools have added to their MSAR entry also): https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7051/download * For general tips and information that will still pertain also to a virtual interview day, you can review last year's presentation and resources on our website at: https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/medical-interview and you will also find helpful resources at https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/interviewing. 5. OCS Interview Resources. Most of you have not received any interview invitations yet- and this is normal! The season is long and invitations continue to be extended into March. Here are some ways you can prepare. * All Houses offer mock interview prep and you should avail yourself of these resources. Reach out to your assigned non-resident or resident tutor to arrange a mock interview. * Go on the OCS website, in the interview section<https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/interview-stream>, and sign up for Interview Stream using your harvard.edu address. There is a section tailored specifically for medical school interviews. * Use the resources on the OCS premed website about interviews<https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/medical-interview>. * Join us for the interview webinar on Friday August 13 from 1-2pm ET. This webinar will feature preparation for both traditional interviews and MMI and we have adapted the material to make it relevant to the virtual interviews you will do this year. We ask that only current applicants or seniors who will be applying in a future application cycle sign up. Students applying to other health professions schools (e.g., dental and vet) are also welcome and will find the information relevant to interviewing for those schools. PLEASE REGISTER TO ATTEND<https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8aECWwGzSQai6z_ht62E9g>. We will record this webinar, so if you are unable to watch live, please email us at premed(a)fas.harvard.edu<mailto:premed@fas.harvard.edu> after August 20, and we will send you the recording link. Best, Emiko & Oona Emiko Morimoto, PhD Assistant Director, Premedical and Health Careers Advising 617-495-2595 / morimoto(a)fas.harvard.edu<mailto:morimoto@fas.harvard.edu> / LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiko-morimoto-7282386/> Pronouns: she / her / hers Office of Career Services<http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/>, Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences 54 Dunster Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 [insta small]<https://www.instagram.com/harvardocs/> If you are applying to medical school in 2021 for matriculation in 2022, please subscribe to the Harvard OCS Medical School Applicant Listserv, by visiting https://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/harvardocs-medschool-applica… and signing up using a @college.harvard.edu address, a @post.harvard.edu address, or an @alumni.harvard.edu address.

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Harvardocs-medschool-applicants-list August 2021